The Family Altar

“Alright, it’s time to get ready for bed!” can be heard throughout the house. The sound of little feet scurrying to the bedroom to get on pajamas accompanied with giggles or chatter can also be heard.

The nightly routine has begun. Getting ready for bed, brushing their teeth, and then we end the evening with Bible story time.

Daddy sits down on one of the beds and our little ones scramble up beside him so they can get a good look at the pictures! Those are very important you know 🙂

As Daddy opens the book and begins to read the true stories of legends from long ago my heart prays that these stories would sink deep into the hearts of our children. That even in their little minds they are storing up these lessons and hiding the Word of God in their hearts.

After we read a Bible story we all sing together as a family. It may not sound the like the most beautiful thing to someone else, but to me, it is priceless. Hearing our children sing about Jesus’ love for them, or how great our God is, or even about how if we neglect our Bibles we shrink, but if we read them we GROW, blesses my heart. Even *children’s* songs can be packed with powerful truth!

We end our family altar time with prayer. Asking, “Does anyone have a prayer request?” is usually followed by “I DO! I DO!” from two little people. Hearing their prayer requests lets us know what is heavy on their hearts. Many people that we know don’t realize how much they are prayed for. Friends, family, strangers, anyone who has made an impact on our child’s life is fair game to be a prayer request.

Hearing our children pray never ceases to touch my heart. They pray with such innocence. No one to impress. No one to be fearful of. They just talk to the Lord trusting that He is listening. I love it!

No matter how hard the day, and trust me, we can have doosies, ending the day centered on the Lord as a family does all of us good. It ends the day on a positive note. We can all pillow our heads knowing that the issues of the day have been dealt with and we can sleep in peace. Ps. 4:8 “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep : for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”